Republic Act No. 9700: Once a CLOA, always a CLOA title.

 A lot of people who desire to buy agricultural lands often ask: Can a Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA), which is also a TCT title, be sold and converted into a regular TCT title? And the answer to that question is generally, a CLOA title CANNOT be converted into a regular TCT title.  

Section 27 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended by Section 12 of Republic Act No. 9700, reads as follows: 

"SEC. 27. Transferability of Awarded Lands. - Lands acquired by beneficiaries under this Act or other agrarian reform laws shall not be sold, transferred or conveyed except through hereditary succession, or to the government, or to the LBP, or to other qualified beneficiaries through the DAR for a period of ten (10) years: Provided, however, That the children or the spouse of the transferor shall have a right to repurchase the land from the government or LBP within a period of two (2) years x x x."

"The title of the land awarded under the agrarian reform must indicate that it is an emancipation patent or a certificate of land ownership award and the subsequent transfer title must also indicate that it is an emancipation patent or a certificate of land ownership award.

"If the land has not yet been fully paid by the beneficiary, the rights to the land may be transferred or conveyed, with prior approval of the DAR, to any heir of the beneficiary or to any other beneficiary who, as a condition for such transfer or conveyance, shall cultivate the land himself/herself. Failing compliance herewith, the land shall be transferred to the LBP which shall give due notice of the availability of the land in the manner specified in the immediately preceding paragraph.

"In the event of such transfer to the LBP, the latter shall compensate the beneficiary in one lump sump for the amounts the latter has already paid, together with the value of improvements he/she has made on the land."

Source: Republic Act No. 9700

DAR Region 2 distributes Php17.6 million worth of farm machinery and equipment.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) provincial offices in the Cagayan Valley region (Region 2) have procured and distributed Php17.6 million worth of farm machinery and equipment (FME) consisting of tractors, combine harvesters, delivery trucks, etc., to nine (9) agrarian reform beneficiaries' organizations (ARBOs) in the different provinces in the region. The FME would help farmers modernize their operations and increase their yield resulting to increase in income.  

According to DAR region 2 Regional Director Primo C. Lara, the farm machineries and equipment for distribution to selected agrarian reform beneficiaries' organizations is being implemented under the Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities Project (SuRe ARCs), a DAR program for farm machines aimed to improve farm productivity and increase thehousehold income of ARBs through the ARBOs where they are a member.  

The turnover of the farm equipment was graced by the presence of Atty. Kazel Celeste, DAR Undersecretary for Field Operations (FOO) and Atty. Marjorie P. Ayson, DAR Assistant Secretary, FOO. The FME was distributed to the following ARBOs: Sunrise Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Garita Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, the Farmers of Luna Agriculture Cooperative, Villaverde Development Cooperative, Brgy. Paitan Farmers Irrigators Association, Inc., San Salvador ARB Association, Luttuad ARB Farmers Association, San Francisco ARB Farmers Association, Maui Farmers' Cooperative, Dicamay Farmers Agri Cooperative, Greenfield Cabatuan Agriculture Cooperative, Nam-Ay Farmers Association, Western Aurora Agri Cooperative, Upper Forest Region Agrarian Reform Cooperative, Reform Farm Workers Association, Sinili Vegetable Growers Cooperative, and Rotary Community Corps of Cauayan City Producers Cooperative. 

The SuRe ARCs is a program of the Department of Agrarian Reform that aims to support the agricultural sector and enhance food security. In addition to farm mechanization, the project is also establishing enterprise-based crop nurseries with greenhouse facilities and tissue culture laboratories in agrarian reform beneficiary organizations, state universities and colleges, and local government units within Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs).  

Turnover of farm machinery and equipment under DAR Project SuRe ARCs.  

DAR Usec Atty Kazel C. Celeste (left) and DAR Asec Atty Marjorie P. Ayson. 

Delivery truck for hauling of ARB agri products. 

Combine harvesters and tractors. 

Four-wheeled tractors for ARB coops. 

DARPO Cagayan-Batanes PARPO II Val M. Cristobal and staff.

Sunrise MPC officers and members - recipients of delivery truck.